2015 Volunteer Corps

Alan Brody*

PROGRAM COORDINATOR ASSISTANT

Alan received his B.A. degree in music and physics from the University of Virginia in December 2013. He performed for four years with the Cavalier Marching Band, including a halftime show he will never forget playing drumset alongside The Temptations. He fell in love with ethnomusicology and completed research projects on the student-run University Salsa Club, Rap music used in the classroom, and strategies for teaching African music and dance. Alan has cultivated a love for the arts in students around the world. Alan interned in Bogota, Colombia with Move This World where he facilitated dance and movement-based conflict resolution for high school students. He was recognized for his "impressive cultural competence" and "musicianship" as an arts mentor for fourth- graders in Charlottesville, Virginia. Alan received a UVA Arts Award in 2013, which supported his African music, dance and music technology clinic for middle school students in Charlottesville and college students at Brandeis University. Upon graduation in 2013, Alan began substitute teaching in Albemarle County and Arlington County Public Schools. He hopes to teach elementary school music and perhaps one day become a professor of ethnomusicology. BLOG: https://alanvbrody.wordpress.com

Rebecca Kerr

ADVOCACY & PARTNERSHIP ASSISTANT

Becky grew up in the UK and went to university in Manchester to study History. At the age of 17, she visited Rwanda for the first time and this stemmed an interest in development on a global level. In 2010 Becky returned to Rwanda for the second time. She spent one month working on-site at the Noel Orphanage, and then two months working in a school in South Africa. During University, Becky was Chair of the University’s fundraising body (RAG) and helped raise over £270,000 for charities worldwide. She spent one year in France after graduating where she worked with a charity focused on integrating Roma children into French schools, and also a local AIDS charity. Earlier this year she returned to England for a few months before deciding to go to Rwanda again. Becky loves travelling and has visited parts of Asia, Australia, America and Africa; she hopes to visit many more places in the future. She is also an avid reader. BLOG: https://armchairaidworker.wordpress.com/

Katherine Kolios*

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Katherine is from New York and is a graduate of Brandeis University where she earned a dual B.A. in Health: Science, Society and Policy as well as French and Francophone Studies. She found a way to merge these interests when she conducted an independent study on women’s contraceptive decisions in Morocco her junior year. Katherine continued her work exploring reproductive health back at Brandeis where she earned highest honors for her thesis “Safety is Sexy: A Qualitative Study of College-Aged Women’s Contraceptive Choices.” Upon graduation she set off to French Guiana, an overseas department of France located on the north- eastern coast of South America. There, Katherine worked in one of France’s most high-needs schools to help establish a bilingual track for students to study in Portuguese or English along with French. Her students finished the year with an English exam pass rate 20% higher than the previous year. Upon returning to New York, Katherine worked at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, helping to digitize its education efforts in order to meet youth where they are- online. She is an avid dancer, yogi and appreciator of the outdoors.

Simon comes from Wellington, New Zealand. He has worked in predominantly IT related roles for over 20 years. From Print Pre Press, the Communication/Graphics/Web design industry, to computer systems engineer with the NZ Treasury. Simon has interests in motor mechanics, electrical systems, and alternative/renewable energies.

Simon Labone

INFORMATION & COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

Max is a PA-born, DC-based record producer and freelance Ableton Live instructor. He has been making music since he was four years old, with experience in vocal, instrumental, and electronic performances. His influences stem from his time in his church’s choir, school orchestra, jazz combos, and nightlife interests. Since he started using Live to create music, Max has worked with vocalists, producers, rappers, and other artists to create a diverse catalog of original work, remixes, and collaborations. He has performed at venues like Identity Festival in Virginia and Musikfest in Pennsylvania, held residencies at clubs in DC, and played internationally. Max is a graduate of George Washington University, where he concentrated in International Economics and performed independent research on the efficacy of drone strikes in Pakistan. Outside of music, he is interested in international and domestic politics, popular culture, and foreign policy issues. He studied abroad in Madrid and Costa Rica and is a Spanish speaker. BLOG: rwak.tumblr.com

Max Rewak

MUSIC PRODUCTION

Rachel is a recent graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in international relations and global studies and a B.A. in government. Rachel has worked in diverse professional and cultural settings including with the service learning department of her university, federally with the U.S. Department of Education and in the grassroots nonprofit sector serving international refugee youth in Austin, Texas. In 2011, Rachel was fortunate to attend an international service retreat with the Amala Foundation in India, where she volunteered at a school in the slums of Delhi. Rachel has also conducted extensive research on international development with a focus on food security. Her senior year, she was given the opportunity to study abroad in Geneva, Switzerland, where she conducted research on the role of genetically modified organisms in international food security, which was chosen out of thirty submissions to be published on the program’s website. Rachel worked for the Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity as the Research Development Coordinator through AmeriCorps VISTA.

Rachel Sherman*

VISITORS & HOSPITALITY

Shelby was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. A strong believer in the power of universal education and youth empowerment, Shelby has pursued these passions throughout her personal and professional life. In 2013, Shelby traveled to Thailand with International Student Volunteers where she worked at Baan Unrak orphanage. A year later, she began her internship with Educate!, a nonprofit employing an experiential education model for youth in Uganda. Her experience with Educate! inspired her to conduct an in depth research paper on the development of education in rural Sub-saharan Africa while she was studying International Relations and Diplomacy with School for International Training in Geneva, Switzerland. Shelby is currently working in the marketing and communications department for a think tank in the San Francisco Bay Area. In her spare time, Shelby enjoys cooking vegetarian meals, reading a good book, exploring nature, and meeting interesting folks. She is very excited for this next year as a long-term fellow at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village.

Shelby Sullivan

COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT

Keturah Webster grew up in Guyana and New Jersey, and studied International Relations at Brown University. While studying at Brown, Keturah was a Writing Fellow, working with students to improve their academic writing, as well as an Editor-in-Chief of a student-run literary magazine. Keturah also taught at a local non-denominational Hebrew school for four years. While studying abroad in Senegal, she developed a deeper interest in African development and human rights through an internship at WARIPNET, a non-profit providing legal assistance and other forms of aid to refugees and internally displaced persons. There, she used her teaching skills to provide alphabetization and French classes to refugees. This experience later motivated her to propose a year-long research project on talibé children in Senegal. Since graduating, Keturah has worked in the non-profit and legal sectors, and has continued teaching and mentoring through volunteer work and b’nai mitzvah tutoring at synagogues in the Washington DC area. Keturah is excited to join the ASYV family and spend the rest of the year as a Village Fellow.

Keturah Webster* (July-November 2015)

STUDENT RESOURCE CENTER ASSISTANT

Dana is unbelievably excited to be part of the ASYV family! Originally from Pennsylvania, Dana studied global health and biology at the University of Richmond, where she developed a passion for community health and empowerment. Her interest in civic engagement led to several new stamps on her passport. Dana spent a semester studying community health, living with local families in India, China, and South Africa. She volunteered in Peru for a summer at a clinic and orphanage. Dana also studied microfinance in the Dominican Republic and multi-faith dialogue in Israel. Dana has varied experiences in community engagement, communications, and emergency medicine. As a Speech Center Consultant, she utilized skills she acquired as a nationally ranked high-school Speech and Debate competitor to refine public speaking skills of her peers. Dana increased awareness and support for a non-profit dedicated to bringing healthcare to children in developing countries as their Communications Intern. Dana is also a certified Emergency Medical Technician, working at a volunteer rescue squad and regional hospital. She plans to pursue a career in the clinical side of public health. Dana’s motto is “Explore the world. Live life passionately. Find the magic. And wherever you go, go with all your heart.” BLOG: https://seetheworldrwanda.wordpress.com